Ryan Day reveals who called Ohio State’s offense vs. Indiana and through the playoffs

Ryan Day confirmed that Brian Hartline called the plays for the Big Ten Championship and will continue to call the offense through the playoffs, despite taking the head coaching job at South Florida.

Ohio State Buckeyes offensive coordinator Brian Hartline and head coach Ryan Day leads warm ups during the NCAA football game against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich. on Nov. 29, 2025. Ohio State won 27-9. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ohio State’s offensive struggles cost the Buckeyes the Big Ten Championship, and Ryan Day confirmed offensive coordinator Brian Hartline was at the helm — even after accepting the head coaching job at South Florida last week.

“Brian was calling it, but we’re all involved,” Day said. “Brian calls the plays and will continue to call the plays, but we're gonna have everybody involved with it, and it's a group effort.”

Fans have questioned whether Hartline can balance preparing Ohio State’s offense with his new responsibilities at USF, and Saturday’s loss didn’t quiet the conversation. Less than 24 hours after the game, Hartline was already on a flight to Tampa with his family.

“He’ll be down there this week some, and then he'll look to get back and sort of dive into the game plan with us,” Day said. 

Hartline — one of the nation’s strongest recruiters and developer of elite Ohio State talent — will now split time between Columbus and South Florida through the end of the season. But Day said he isn’t worried about Hartline’s commitment to finishing out the playoff run.

“He's made it clear that he wants to finish this the right way and be locked in here,” Day said. “He knows that is important for him.”

Hartline likely does want to go out with a bang. There’s no doubting how important Ohio State is to him — he played for the Buckeyes from 2005-2008 and has been on the coaching staff since 2017. And despite fans’ disappointment about him leaving, the current players have expressed how happy they are for him to take the next step in his career. 

But with these changes ahead of the playoffs, Day reiterated multiple times that calling the offense will be a group effort, and he feels at ease knowing that there are weeks to prepare before their next battle in the Cotton Bowl on December 31.

“I do think having more time to prepare for this game will allow us to be more efficient,” Day said. “There’s no question about that.”

Day stated that the staff must use the upcoming prep window to improve offensive execution. And he wasted no time getting started, confirming that after feeling “sick to his stomach” from the loss, he had already fully re-watched the film.

He acknowledged his team’s five sacks allowed and multiple stalled red-zone trips. Those breakdowns, combined with Hartline’s increased responsibility over the next month, will shape how the staff approaches its preparation for the Cotton Bowl.